I've been watching and waiting for these photos for days! We've already seen IKAROS' view of its deployed sails from cameras attached to the spacecraft, but, in a brilliant idea, the Japanese built IKAROS with two deployable cameras that could view the thing from a distance. They're two tiny little things, I think only about 5 centimeters across, that just get shot out (gently) from the spacecraft and wirelessly transmit their photos to it. And such photos! So cool!

First, a closeup:

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IKAROS spacecraft from DCAM2

DCAM2 is a tiny camera deployed by IKAROS to photograph its sail after deployment; it captured this view after sail deployment was complete, transmitting the images wirelessly to the spacecraft.

And here's the money shot, the distant view -- so square, exactly as it should be! Awesome.

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IKAROS sail from DCAM2

One of the deployable cameras on IKAROS shows the IKAROS solar sail fully deployed.

Here's a diagram showing where the cameras were positioned on the spacecraft, and a closeup of the tiny things. In the first picture I posted above, you can see the hole on the spacecraft where the camera came from.

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Location of DCAM1 and DCAM2 on IKAROS

So cool! That's all the analysis I have time for -- it's the kids' bathtime -- but I'll write more tomorrow.

EDIT: One more thing to add before going to bed: an animation, taken by DCAM2 as it receded from the sail (from here). Again, so cool.

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DCAM2's view of IKAROS

A 32-frame animation from the deployable camera DCAM2 on IKAROS. The camera rotated as it receded, producing the apparent spin of the sail.